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Dec. 18 1923. 1,4'77Q675 L. A. VINCENT CONTINUOUS TUNNEL KILN Filed Feb. 20, 1922 2 IIIIIIII/I/ M ,4 TTORNEY Patented Dec. 18, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAURENCE ARTHUR VINCENT, OF PLEASANTVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T AMERICAN DRESSLEE TUNNEL KILNS, INC., OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW YORK.

CONTINUOUS TUNNEL KILN.

Application filed February 20, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAURENCE ARTHUR VINCENT, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pleasantville, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous Tunnel Kilns, of which the following is a specification.

The general object of my present invention is the provision in a continuous tunnel kiln of simple and effective means tending to restrict flow of the hot gases forming the kiln chamber atmosphere longitudinally of the kiln through the space between the top of the kiln chamber and the top of the goods therein, and to cause these gases to be diverted downward into the space traversed by the goods.

To accomplish the object of the present invention I provide a bafiie or rib which depends from the roof of the kiln chamber and extends longitudinally of the kiln. This baiile advantageously may be formed by downward extensions of the key bricks of the tunnel wall proper, or may consist of battle bricks suspended from the roof of the kiln structure. The invention is of especial utility in the case of a mufile heated kiln of the well known Dressler type. In such a kiln. while the normal intended circulation of the kiln atmosphere is upward past the combustion chambers or heating mufiies at the sides of the kiln chamber and downward through the goods pathway, there is a tendency for portions of the streams of the kiln atmosphere flowing upward along the side of the kiln atmosphere, not to pass immediately downward into the goods space of the kiln atmosphere but to flow longitudinally along the roof of the kiln atmosphere toward the cooler end of the latter with a consequent return of cooler portions of the kiln atmosphere from the end por tions of the kiln back toward the center of the kiln along its bottom. This circulation, longitudinally of the kiln chamber interferes with the desired regulation of temperatures in the kiln and in particular makes it difiicult to heat the goods suflifly and with suiiicient uniformity in the 1 temperature or the Serial No. 537,707.

While my invention is of especial utility in connection with a mufile heated kiln of the type referred to above, it is also of value in the case of an ordinary open fire kiln in which burning gases are introduced into the kiln chamber at its opposite sides, along the furnace zone of the kiln, and in which the main intended circulation of the kiln chamber is longitudinally of the kiln chamber from the furnace zone thereof toward the heating up end portion of the kiln chamber. In a kiln of this type the provision of the longitudinally extending baffle depending from the roof of the kiln chamber exerts a resistance to the flow of the heating gases in a film or stream along the roof of the kiln chamber, and tends to cause more of the heating gases to traverse the goods pathway of the kiln.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of my invention, however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan. of a muifle heated kiln of the Dressler type;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2F2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial sectiontaken' similarly to Fig. 2 illustrating a modified baffle construction;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4.-4 of Fig. 5; and I Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of an open fire kiln.

- In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I have illustrated the use of my present invention in a muffle heated kiln in which. combustion chambers B are provided at the opposite sides of the goods pathway-along a high temperature portion of the kiln chamber intermediate the end ortions Off the latter. he combustion c ambers B, as shown, are of the construction commonly ample-red the Dreasler' type at kiln;

' the battle I is formed by the lower ends of ing formed with circulating channels B in their walls for inducing and directing the normal intended circulation of the kiln atmosphere which is in planes transverse to the length of the kiln as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. In the particular kiln construction shown, each combustion chamber receives fuel gas through one or more gas inlets C and receives air for the combustion of the gas through conduits D ex tending through the cooling zone section of the kiln. The products of combustion leave the combustion chambers B proper, through pipe extensions E which run alongside the goods pathway through the initial heating up zone of the kiln, and finally pass from the kiln to the stack F or other draft creating device. The bricks to be fired or other goods to be heated are moved through the kiln chamber on cars G running on track rails H.

In so far as above described the kiln construction showing in Figs. 1 and 2 is a somewhat conventional illustration of the well known Dressler type of kiln. The improvement constituting the present invention consists in a battle I which extends downward from the top of the vaulted kiln chamber and runs longitudinally of the kiln chamber the full length of the latter or at least through a considerable portion of the high temperature zone of the kiln.

' In the construction illustrated in 2,

the key brick of the kiln root arch which project downward below the top of the kiln chamber proper. The batlle I serves to deflect the currents of the kiln atmosphere moving upward from the sides of the kiln chamber along the roof of the kiln down into the mass of goods X mounted on the cars G. The baffle I partly by its action in thus deflecting the currents oi? the kiln atmosphere downward, and partly by its frictional resistance to longitudinal flow along the roof of the kiln chamber, substantially minimizes the tendency to a continuous flow of the hottest gases longitudin ally of the kiln chamber along the top of the latter.

In the-modified construction shown in Fig. 3 the depending battle I of Fig. 2 is replaced by a battle torn'ied of bricks IA which have enlarged upper ends received and held in a slot formed beneath the key brick proper by the adjacent bricks in the kiln chamber root arch.

In Figs. t and 5 I have illustrated the use oi.- my invention in an open fire tunnel kiln AA into which burning gases are introduced at distributed points along the opposite sides of the kiln chamber from external furnames or combustion chan'ibers BA, The

' products of combustion are withdrawn from the kiln AA. through an outlet K leading to a stack A or other draft creating device. lVhile in the kiln shown in Figs. l and 5, the general direction of flow oi? the kiln atmosphere is longitudinally of the kiln chamber from its furnace zone to the entrance end of the kiln chamber, the flow of the burning gases in the high temperature or furnace zone of the kiln is mainly upward along the side walls and root of the kiln chamber to the top of the latter from the ports B connecting the furnace chamber BA to the kiln chamber proper. this construction, as in that first described, the provisions of a bathe 113 at the top of the kiln chamber'extending longitudinally of the latter, tends to deflect the hot gases down ward into the pathway traversed by the goods and to minimize the longitudinal flow of the hottest gases through the space between the top of the goods and the roof of the kiln chamber.

lVhile in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and described the best form of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from. the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that certain features of my invention may sometimes be used without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a continuous tunnel kiln comprising an elongated kiln chamber with a goods pathway therethrough and combustion chambers extending longitudinally of the kiln chamber at opposite sides of the goods pathway in the high temperature zone of the kiln chamber, whereby the goods are largely heated by a convection current circulation of the kiln atmosphere upwardly past the combustion chambers and downward in the central. portion of the goods pathway, the improvement which consists in a longitudinally extending battle in the kiln chamber above the goods pathway.

2. In a continuous tunnel kiln comprising an elongated kiln chamber with a roof of arch form in transverse section, the improvement which consists in downward eX- tensions of the key bricks of the arched roof which unite to form a battle extending longitudinally of the kiln. chamber at the top of the latter.

3. In a continuous tunnel kiln comprising an elongated kiln chamber with a goods pathway therethrough and combustion chambers extending longitudinally of the kiln chamber'at opposite sides of the goods pathway in the high temperature zone of the kiln chamber, W ereoy the goods are kiln chamber above the goods pathway and.

largely heated by a, convection current (:irextending longitudinally of: the kiln chameulation of the kiln atmosphere upwardly her.

past the COIHbUStiOIl chambers and down- Signed at Canton, Ohio, in the county of :5 ard in the central portion of the goods Stark and State of Ohio, this 15th day of pathway, the improvement which consists eb-A 192 in a batHle depending from the roof of the LAURENCE ARTHUR VINCENT. 

